


Night-time is when the freaks come out to play

by MetalMistress



Series: Invader Zim: After The Florpus [18]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Character(s), Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Technology, Aliens, Candy Taste Testing, Clubbing, Dancing, Dirty Dancing, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, It's cool though because he has you to teach him, Music, Not an Irken, Nothing too sexual, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Zim doesn't know how to dance, Zim doesn't understand human traditions, reader is an alien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalMistress/pseuds/MetalMistress
Summary: Dib thinks that with all that has happened with Zur, you and Zim haven't been able to get some quality time to just relax and enjoy each other's company......So he offers to watch Zur and GIR, while you two go out for a night on the town!
Relationships: Zim (Invader Zim)/Reader
Series: Invader Zim: After The Florpus [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1543243
Comments: 12
Kudos: 33





	Night-time is when the freaks come out to play

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CassRed_64](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassRed_64/gifts), [mysafeplaceishere](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysafeplaceishere/gifts), [QueenofAngstandSin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenofAngstandSin/gifts).



> Hi, everybody! 
> 
> You might have noticed that this has been dedicated to three people.  
> That's because these three wonderful folks are people who pop up frequently in the comment section, have given me ideas, and have read most of my work. ♥ I appreciate them and everything they do, so I wanted to give them a gift!  
> Please go read their work, they are all WONDERFUL writers. Seriously, I can't even lay a hand to the stuff they're able to write, it's just amazing.
> 
> Anyway, this fic came to my brain shortly after I posted the last fic, so I drew up a general plan in my head. I thought after all of the crazy stuff Zim and the Reader have been through, they deserve some peace. Right? c:  
> Tell me what you guys think! Also, are the songs that I feature annoying? Do you just scroll right past em or do you think I should keep posting them if I find a song that adds to the fic?

You were tired, if you were perfectly honest. But then again, who wouldn't be after all you've been through?

You and Zim had been through hell and back. Fighting with the Almighty Tallest constantly, Having a smeet, Raising the smeet, dealing with Dib, eventually befriending Dib and then there was Zur's kidnapping. You got him back, true, but you were still shaken by it. You couldn't leave him alone too long without worrying if he was going to snatched up... and he wasn't even outside. You didn't play with him out front anymore, not without Zim and GIR being present as well. Couldn't bring yourself to take any chances. But that's not the point.

The point is that you and Zim had run yourselves into the ground. Zim might not work for the Almighty Tallest anymore, but that doesn't mean he let up on his research.   
You see, The Vexen Queen was eager to know about Humans. Not in an 'Lets take over the world' kind of way, but more of a "How do they work? What are they like?" kind of way. So, she asked you and Zim to conduct research on the curious human's world if you could spare the time. Being that Zim has retired from the Irken Empire, he had plenty of free time to spare. You often wondered after he first retired if he had too much free time in fact, because at first Zim didn't really know what to do with himself. He'd go to the basement, and begin to research, only to remember that he had no reason to research. Zim liked keeping busy, said it gave his hands something to do. So, when the Queen made the offer, he was estatic. He was also thankful that the previous research he has done for the Tallest had not gone to waste now.

But even he has a breaking point. 

He had been doing so much research as of late that he felt his sanity slowly begin to chip away. He was just as stressed as you were with all of the things that had happened, but at least he could throw himself into work to relieve stress. However, it seemed that working was only adding to the stress. 

Being the dutiful parents that you are, you and Zim did your best to make sure Zur did not notice how tired you both were. You'd play with him and GIR, have dinner together, you'd teach him lessons, and read him bedtime stories before bed. So far, Zur and GIR have not noticed how exhausted you both were.

But Dib did.

Dib had been coming over a lot as of late. Zur loved his older human brother, and was quite happy to ~~shout~~ say it very loudly. Honestly, it made Dib feel special. Gaz wasn't really the type to be affectionate to him, and lord knows his Dad wasn't the type either. However, with you as his stand-in mom and Zur as his new brother, he felt very loved. Heck, Zim wasn't openly affectionate, but even HE tried to make sure Dib felt appreciated. 

So when Dib noticed how run down you and Zim were, he knew he had to do _something_.

...So that's exactly what he did!

You, Dib, GIR, Zur, and Zim were all spending a quiet night in. You were watching TV, all snuggled together on the couch. Well at least, you, Zur and GIR were. Dib was coerced into the mass-cuddle by an exuberant Zur, and Zim loudly declared that while he was now friend with the Dib-Human, he would not be forced to cuddle him like a mate. Zim visibly shuddered in disgust at the thought, causing Dib to roll his eyes and you to laugh. After some convincing, Zim cuddled you, and only you. Occasionally, GIR and Zur would brush up against him affectionately, and he'd return the affection, but he mainly cuddled you. You imagined that you all looked quite funny; Dib cuddling Zur, who cuddled both him and GIR, and Zim occasionally cuddling Zur and GIR. All with you in the middle, being cuddled by _everybody._

You felt squished, but very much loved.

After a while, Zur and GIR managed to fall asleep. It was only then that Dib piped up;

"How have you two been?"

"Who two?" You asked, not really paying attention.

"What? You- I- YOU two!" He said, motioning to you and Zim.

"Oh. Oops. We're okay."

"Liar." Dib said with a smirk.

"Human, you dare call my mate a LIAR?!" Zim said, quick to jump to your defense.

"Shhh! I swear to Irk and the Almighty Ancestors of Old, I will kick you into the next galaxy if you wake up the boys!" You quietly hiss, causing Zim to flatten his antennae and sheepishly apologize. 

Dib chuckles. "I mean no harm, Zim. _Relax_. I'm only asking because I know you two have been really stressed out lately. I was concerned."

"Oh... that's very kind of you Dib." Zim replies. "I apologize for my accusation."

"It's fine. You've been under a lot of stress, I understand. That's why I had an idea."

"Oh? Do tell." You reply.

"Well, it's 'Freak Night' in the city. I figured you two could go out on a date or something while I watch GIR and Zur."

"A date? What is this 'date' you speak of?" Zim asks, antennae twitching with curiosity.

"A 'date' is something humans do, love. They go out and spend quality time with each other while bonding. Often times they'll go out to a restaurant, a movie or something. They call it 'Date-Night'."

"I see. But, we can't exactly go out without our human disguises. And spending a couple hours in them sounds uncomfortable.." Zim says.

"That's why I thought tonight was a good idea; it's 'Freak Night.'" Dib adds.

"Freak night?"

"Yes, Freak Night. I forget you don't know all of the customs we have here, my bad. Freak night is where people dress up in crazy costumes; it's almost like Halloween, but for adults. I figured you guys who go for a night out to the city without raising suspicion. Everyone there will be dressed up as anime characters, or cartoon characters, so you two should be able to go without your human disguises. They'll probably just think your dressed up in a really elaborate costume."

"That's actually a really good idea!" You exclaim, suddenly excited. "What do you think, Zim?"

"Well, we could use the break..." Zim hums in thought, scratching his chin. "I think it's a good idea."

"There's also a club called Club Galaxy that offers free entry on Freak Night. I figured you could go there."

"Yeah... but, how do you know about that? You're 12. How did you even get in?"

"I didn't. I happened to be chasing what I thought was a bigfoot last year.... I realized my mistake when it walked into the club. I saw an advertisement poster on the outside, and made the connection." Dib chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Oops?"

You and Zim stared at him for a moment, before bursting out into laughter, promptly waking up Zur and GIR.

"Mama?" They both asked. 

"Sorry babies! Didn't mean to- hahahaha- Didn't mean to wake you, your brother Dib just- HAHAHAHA- said something funny." You tried to speak through you maniacal giggles. Even Zim was trying desperately to hold back snickers.

Dib just rolled his eyes and smiled "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. Jerks."

You wipe away the tears of laughter in your eyes, and sniffle a bit. "Aaah, that's good. I guess we go better get ready then, huh?"

"Where yah going, Mama?" Zur asks clearly, having improved on his speech skills.

"Mama and Daddy are going out. Dib is gonna hang out and keep an eye on you and GIR. That sound cool?"

Zur eagerly nods and looks over at Dib, who smiles and pats the little guy gently on the head.

GIR frowns at Dib, and goes "HMPH!"

Dib realizes his mistake, and reaches over to pat GIR on the head as well. GIR smiles brightly, and nuzzles his head into his hand.

Zim smiles at the exchange, and stands up to stretch. "Alright. Let's go get ready, Life-Mate."

You smile and slip off of the couch, launching yourself into the air and spinning around excitedly as your wings buzz and flutter. "Woohoo! This is exciting!"

* * *

Zim was waiting for you in the living room while you got ready. Since tonight was special, you decided you wanted to feel a little pretty. So you got dressed in this short, shimmery, long-sleeved dress. It was deep, dark blue in color, but when the light hit it just right, the shimmers towards the bottom of the dress almost looked emerald green in color. It was backless, which allowed your wings room to breathe, and it hugged your curves wonderfully. It showed a bit of cleavage, but not too much. You paired the dress with a pair of short, strappy heels, and stepped out into the living room.

When Zim saw you, his jaw hit the floor.

"Mama looks pretty!" Zur cries, pointing excitedly at you. "Right, Daddy?" 

"Hummina hummina hummina." Zim mindlessly said, starstruck by your beauty.

"That's not a real word, Daddy!"

"You look pretty, Mom." Dib complimented, snickering at Zim's reaction.

"Thanks, hun."

"Wait! You're missing something!" GIR cried out, as he dashed past you and down the hallway. When he came back, he was carrying a... makeup bag?

"Sit down, Mama!" He excitedly said. You sat down on the couch, just as he commanded, and he immediately went to work. He gave you a pretty smokey eye, curled your lashes, and gave you a little bit of cat eye-liner that pulled everything together. When you handed you a compact mirror, you were surprised at your appearance.

"Wow, GIR! That's really good!" You complimented before lowering the mirror and tilting your head curiously. "How are you so good at make up?"

"It's GIR. Do you really need to ask?" Zim said. 

"True." You snickered. "He does what he wants, when he wants. Without question. I should've known better."

"It's fine. Besides I... I have my own gift." Zim shyly admits. You furrow your brows in confusion as he walks over, and pulls out a delicate chain necklace and hands it to you. Upon closer inspection, you notice that it has a metal pendant in the shape of the Irken Invader Symbol, and it's engraved with two little yellow gems, that are used to represent eyes. You gasp in shock. "Zim.. this is so beautiful!"

"I made it myself..." He blushes.

You look up in shock. "Really?! This is so beautiful, I.... Wait... yellow eyes... The Irken Invader Symbol..." You gasp, upon realization; "Is this supposed to be Zur?!"

Zim nods, a wide grin spreading across his face.

You tackle him in a hug. "Oh, baby! I love it!"

He hugs you back, nuzzling the exposed mating mark on your neck. "I made it a couple days ago when I had some alone time during research. I thought now was a good time to give it to you.."

"I love it so much. Help me put it on?"

He nods, and takes it from you, You turn around, and allow him to reach around and comfortably clasp it to your neck. You smile, and turn back around once he's finished to press a loving kiss to his lips. 

Dib smiles at the romantic exchange between you two, while holding Zur and GIR's hands as they stand by the door. "Ready to go you two?"

You look over and nod. "Yeah. I think we are."

* * *

You and Zim had walked to the city; it wasn't that far, and you flew most of the way when no one was looking to spare your feet the pain of walking in heels.

When you arrived in the city, you landed in a random alleyway so that you and Zim could be discreet. 

"Alright. From what I can see..." You bend and twist your neck as you peer out of the alleyway entrance. "It seems like Dib was telling the truth. I can recognize a couple people dressed up as character's from GIR's favorite show. See? Look" You say, pointing.

Zim turns his head to see, and nods. "Good. Where do you want to go first? I saw the Galaxy place that Dib was talking about on the way here."

"We can head there first. Also, isn't that ironic?"

"What?"

"Two aliens, heading to a club called the 'Club Galaxy'."

Zim snorts lightly. "That is ironic. Well, follow me, Life-Mate." Zim says, offering out his hand for you to hold. You take it in your hand, holding tightly. He leads you out of the alleyway, and heads in the direction of the club. You are pleasantly surprised to find that the humans on the street pay you no mind, and the ones that do look at you seemed impressed by your 'costume'.

When you arrive to the club, you have no trouble getting inside. The club's bouncers stand by the door for safe measure, but let you through without any trouble all the same. As soon as you and Zim walk in, you're overwhelmed with the scent of alcohol, and sweat, likely from all of the bodies dancing on the dance floor. Your antennae twitch as the music plays, and you slowly realize that you recognize the song they've started playing;

"Really? I'm surprised they're playing this. This song is like, 10 years old." You comment.

"So? It's fairly new, then." Zim says, confused.

"No- Zim, 10 years is a long time for a human. For us it's like a blip in time, but for them it's fairly old."

"So... Dib is 12. Does this mean he is old, too?" Zim asks, genuinely wondering.

"No, he's young for a human."

"But you just said 10 years is a long time! Argh, Humans make no sense with their stupid time constructs!"

"Thats- no- I didn't- That's not how I meant it. 10 years is a long time for a human, yes. But new songs get released all the time, and the new songs quickly replace the old ones. That's why a song that was released 10 years ago is old for a song."

"And... humans?" Zim asks, completely confused.

"Humans live up to 80 years on average. But many have lived up to 100 years before. I know, it's small in comparison to our average 900-1000 years, isn't it?"

"Yes, very much so." Zim says, moving closer to you as he steps out of the way of a drunken human, stumbling their way over to the bar.

"Do you want to dance with me?" You ask Zim.

"Oh, I don't... I don't really know how to dance..."

"Oh c'mon Zim.. I can teach you! Pleeeeease?" You beg, giving him a pleading look.

Zim takes one look at your puppy-dog eyes and sighs heavily, before nodding. You let out a loud squeal of "YES! VICTORY!" and grab a hold of his hand, yanking him to the dance floor. You have him stand straight, and then turn around pressing your back to his chest. "Good. Press your body up against mine, just like that. Now, put your hands on my hips..."

Zim swallows thickly, and does as you ask. You smile, and whisper encouragingly to him; "You're doing great. Now just sway and grind your body against mine to the beat. I'll show you how."

And then you _moved._

Zim gasps as he feels the way you grind against his body, but quickly tries to recover by following your instructions. He's kind of stiff at first, but once he gets used to the feel of how your body sways and grinds to the beat, he quickly is able to follow suit. It feels quite amazing, he has to admit. The way your body molds against his own is strangely satisfying, and the way you feel as you move your hips against his groin is just _tantalizing._ He rests his chin on your shoulder, breathing in the spicy yet sweet natural pheromone your body gives off. It's calming, and he finds that he's no where near as anxious as he was just moments prior. As you sway and grind your hips into him, you sing along with the song;

_"♪♫ C'mon and get up,  
Move your body, use your body,  
Lose control!  
Rub it right up  
Against my body,  
Take my body, make it yours!  
We're gonna light this room on fire!  
Yeah, you and I will burn it up tonight!  
The two of us are gonna fuel this fire,  
No way in hell we're slowing down tonight! ♫♪"_

"Such a dirty song." Zim muses.

"That's kind of the point." You giggle. "Humans come to clubs to dance, listen to dirty music, and get drunk."

"Get drunk? Why would they want to drink each other? That's gross. Unless... they mean each other's sexual fluids? Ew, but why would they do that in public?! Oh, that's so nasty!"

You laugh heartily. "That's not what 'drunk' means! You know- ah man, what's it called... Giggle-juice! Giggle-juice, do you remember Giggle-juice on Planet Irk?"

"Yes, I've partaken in consuming it, before. I admit, I do not remember much of the night after I consumed it... I might've had too much."

"It's like that. They drink their own versions of giggle-juice to unwind."

"I see. That makes much more sense." Zim says, relieved. "That also sounds much more sanitary." He shudders.

You giggle, and nod.

"Have you had any of the human's giggle-juice before?" Zim inquires. 

"Yes, but it's no where near as nice as our own. I mean, it gets you feeling light and fuzzy, so I guess it does the job, but it's so gross tasting."

"I see." Zim hums. 

As the night progresses, you find yourself becoming overwhelmed as more and more humans pile in through the door. Your antennae twitch uncomfortably, and your wings shudder with nerves.

"Feeling nervous, my mate?" Zim murmurs into your inner ear.

"Yes. A bit."

"Would you like to leave?"

"Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea."

Zim nods, and takes you by the hand. Unlike you, Zim has no problem with shoving people out of the way, and promptly does so to make a path for the pair of you to cross the large crowd that hangs out by the door.

Once you step outside, you both are quick to gulp in the fresh air.

"Aaah, fresh, clean air."

Zim nods in agreement. "Yes, the sweat and stench of human was... overwhelming. Slightly. I enjoyed our dance, however." He says, giving you a soft smile.

"As did I! And hey, I know a small little candy store around the corner. It should be open still. It's called 'Sugar Fix'. Want to go?"

Zim beams at the mention of candy, and quickly nods his head. "Yes, I'd be pleased to."

"Alright! Follow me!" You take off down the street, smiling and giggling as you run ahead. Zim is able to keep up with you, quite effortlessly. His long legs taking equally long strides, crossing the pavement and quickly catching up to your side. It doesn't take you long to arrive to the candy store, maybe 3 or 4 minutes.

"There it is! The light is on, so it should still be open. C'mon in." You smile softly, taking Zim's hand to pull him into the store.

The bell rings as the door opens, and an old man standing behind the counter raises his head and smiles. 

"Ah, hello! You two must be taking advantage of Freak Night, eh? Nice costumes!" He compliments with a smile on his face.

"Thanks!" 

"You're welcome! Please, take your time in browsing. You two are the first customers I've had tonight, actually. Most young folk want to hit the clubs now a days. No one wants to do candy taste-testing anymore."

"Well, we'll be here to uphold the tradition." You say, giving the old man a friendly smile. He returns it with one of his own.

"You're a very charming young couple."

"Thank you, Sir." Zim says with a gentle nod. "It's date-night." He says.

The man smiles brightly. "I used to have those with my wife- she works here too. This is my shop, but she's the one who handles the register, I'm usually in the back making candy. We still go out occasionally, just not as often. Old bones, you know how that goes... say, since you two seem to be so kind, how about after taste-testing candy, you bring it up to the counter and I'll bag it up for you to take home? No need to pay, it'll be on the house. Just bring them up the counter and I'll wrap them up."

Your eyes and Zim's eyes widen, and you both nod eagerly, dashing off around the shop together to taste some candies. You were overwhelmed with the amount of choices. Gummies, lollipops, taffy, chocolates. You decide to start on a small piece of chocolate. The chocolate is rich, soft and it melts in your mouth, coating your tongue. Zim starts with a gummy bear, chewing softly on it and humming with the sugary juice of it fills his mouth. "These are good. Have you had these before?"

You look over, and nod softly. "I've had gummy bears before. They're pretty good, aren't they?"

Zim nods, as he pops another in his mouth. You grab a plastic bag, and begin to fill it with some candies, and Zim gets one of his own and does the same. You both take it to the counter, and place them up for the man to wrap them up in containers for you.

"You know.." The old man starts. "You sound like this woman my mom used to know."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. I was just a kid. Probably 10 years old. We were having a hard time, and had recently become homeless. It didn't help that we were both sick. We went to this soup-kitchen, and there was this kind woman that gave us soup. I don't know what it was, but something in the soup made us feel 20 times better. Funny, since all of the medication we took never helped. I never got to thank that lady."

You were stunned. "O-oh... Well, I'm sure she knows how appreciative you are."

"You think so?"

"Yep." You nod firmly.

"Thanks! Here are your candies. Feel free to come back again!"

"Thank you!" You smile widely, and take the candies, walking out the door with Zim. As soon as you exit the shop, you let out a large exhale. "Wow. Never thought that would happen."

"What? The old man?"

"Mhm. Did you hear the way he talked about the Soup Kitchen?"

"Yeah. You think he was one of the people you served?"

"I'm almost certain."

Zim rubs your back soothingly, knowing that you're probably shaken from the close call. Had the guy recognized your voice, you'd have been fuuuucked.

"It's alright, sweet Life-Mate. Although, I do believe we should be getting home soon. I don't want to leave Dib alone with the kids for too long..."

"I agree. Let's go home, love."

* * *

You and Zim walk through the door, all smiles and giggles, and Dib, who was sitting alone on the couch, looks up and smiles at your arrival.

"Have fun?"

"Yeah! It was nice to get out and let loose." 

Zim nods in agreement.

Dib smiles and gives a nod of his own; "Good. I'm glad. You both seem much more relaxed than when you left. What's with the bags?"

"Oh these? We got some candy. Here, have a piece" You say, pulling out a piece of chocolate and tossing it for him to catch, which he does.

"Nice, thanks! Well, I think I'm gonna hit the hay. GIR and Zur wore me out. They wanted to play 'Chase The Human' again, which I blame _you,_ Zim, for teaching them it."

Zim snickers. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Dork."

Zim childishly sticks out his tongue at Dib as he gets up. Dib returns it by sticking out his own tongue, before turning and walking out while saying; "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" You call back. Once he's gone, you plop down on the couch. Zim plops down beside you, and cuddles against you, trilling happily.

"Did you enjoy tonight?" You ask sleepily.

"Yes, I did. Did you?"

"Of course. I was with you."

A dark green blush graces Zim's cheeks, and he grumbles as he turns his head to hide the blush that is now steadily spreading to the rest of his face.

You smile, and gently loop a finger under his chin. Guiding him slowly, you make him turn back and face you so you can press a loving, gentle kiss on his lips. 

"Mmm, I love you, Zim.

"And I love you, Life-Mate."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, pets. ♥  
> Especially to _you_ special three in particular. :P  
> How did you guys enjoy it? Did ya like it? Did it suck? Whatcha think? ♥  
> Let me know if you guys have requests. 
> 
> Fun fact: I'll even do a Vexen Queen/Reader oneshot if you guys want as an alternate universe fic. I've gotten a couple comments saying the Queen is a favorite character, so if you guys want to get all up in her bodysuit or just have a fluffy romance, let me know!  
> (Just lemme know if you want it to be female/female or what.)


End file.
